


Keep driving and mind the pot holes

by That_1_Name



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe-esque, Did someone say shots!, Drinking Games, First Kiss, M/M, Oneshot, Pre-Slash, Single Daniel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25459990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_1_Name/pseuds/That_1_Name
Summary: It's Johnny's birthday, so, of course, he wants to spend most of it arguing and spewing insults at Daniel while his friends egg them both on by making a friendly drinking game.
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 7
Kudos: 126





	Keep driving and mind the pot holes

Johnny couldn’t have been happier with how his 49th birthday party went. He spent the evening with Bobby and Jimmy, living it up like the golden years weren’t that far behind them, and, surprisingly, he was able to coax Daniel to join them on the festivities. The two have recently reached a middle ground where their hatred for each other was now just a low simmer that just had them trading insults back and forth. To mark where this shift happened is a difficult one as both parties are unaware either. It was originally assumed by both to be a mutual respect they held for each other, but there was one person who could see the truth, which was so bluntly obvious, as the main cause that allowed this cease fire to happen between the two. So maybe a hint was dropped, and a plan was put into place to see if a little push would be good for the both of them.

The party was set at a local bar, everyone figured that cheap food and drinks would be enough for Johnny to celebrate his big day, and he was pretty stoked for it. Honestly, he would’ve been fine if they held the party in a parking lot; he just really likes hanging with his friends. As soon as Daniel walked in, a half an hour late mind you, Johnny was quick to jump on his ass for his tardiness, which then began what would be a common occurrence throughout the evening of the two bickering and slinging insults at each other. Bobby and Jimmy seemed to be enjoying themselves, mostly at watching the spectacle that is the light hostility between Johnny and Daniel.

Bobby then came up with the idea on how to turn their little squabbles into something more productive and fun, for the sake of ensuring that Johnny’s party wasn’t spent mostly yelling at Daniel. A friendly competition was created to benefit off their mutual spite. Every time one of them couldn’t come up with a response to their opponent’s comment the loser had to take a shot. The rules were pretty simple, and most of them assumed it would be an easy game for Johnny to win, but, to everyone’s astonishment, Daniel had quite the sharp tongue and had Johnny finishing shot after shot till sweat was forming on his brow while he had only drank a few himself.

The night was dragging on, and, to Bobby and Jimmy at least, it was clear that the party was nearing its end. There was one problem: Daniel and Johnny’s competitive spirit. The two were locked in battle, and neither side wanted to stop. Daniel was riding the high of victories and Johnny was set at beating him. It all made for a nervous Bobby as he eyed the two of them in their shared booth.

“Every time you go into a bar and order a drink, they hand you a cup of apple juice with a silly straw,” Johnny said smugly, sipping his drink, which was precariously sloshing around in his hand.

Daniel mulled the comment over, nodding a bit, before meeting Johnny’s eyes with a mischievous grin, “You’re so out of touch that you still think the world is gonna end in 2012.”

The crowd waited with bated breath for Johnny to respond, but the red spreading across his face was enough of an answer as he downed another shot. Daniel’s warped shit-eating smile met him at the bottom of the glass as the last of the liquid was drained.

His brain was starting to buzz with all the alcohol in his system, but Johnny was determined to get at least one more victory. He dug deep into his brain for something, anything, and a more sober Johnny would know better than to go digging that deep otherwise something could be unearthed.

Bobby took this opportunity of Johnny’s contemplation to take on the role of the adult of the evening, “Alright, fellas, I think it’s time we call it a night.” Groans and curses were flung at him, along with a few stray tortilla chips from the nachos they had eaten earlier, but Bobby wasn’t the slightest bit phased, “Hey, you all can stay here till the building caves in, but you’re not doing it on my dime.” Jimmy groaned, rising up with a sneer at Bobby, who just shooed him away to the bar, “Hey, we’ll be right back you guys, we’re gonna go close out the tab before the birthday boy here drinks the bar dry.”

The two left Daniel and Johnny alone at the booth, and Bobby made sure to shout back, “Don’t kill each other till we get back!”

Daniel scoffed, looking into his drink, “As if Johnny could kick my ass.”

“I’ll do a lot more to it, LaRusso,” blurted out Johnny in a rush.

The bar suddenly got a lot hotter, and Daniel, for once, was left speechless. His tongue started drying up, and he could feel his pulse starting to pick up. Johnny was still too drunk to recognize what he said, but he did notice that Daniel went quiet and didn’t respond. He pointed a finger at him, laughing, “Got ya, LaRusso, drink!”

“Huh,” for a second Daniel didn’t know what he was talking about, eyes wide and panic flashing across them. There was confusion clear across his face as his brows furrowed, trying to make sense of what just happened, but, just as suddenly as the mood changed, Daniel’s face soured as he scowled at Johnny, “Why do you always have to be such an ass?” He decided to just down the rest of the drink, hoping the buzz he would get will override the lump that appeared in his throat.

Johnny eyed Daniel’s face, the change somehow breaking through his drunken haze, and he was about to comment on it when Bobby and Jimmy came bounding back.

“Alright, guys, time for us to head out. Johnny, I’m your DD, so let’s go.”

Johnny was about to rise up when his eyes landed again on Daniel, who was fiddling with his car keys with fingers that seemed the slightest bit unsteady.

“What about LaRusso there? Can’t have Mr. Karate get in a wreck on my birthday then the day will be all about him.”

Daniel was about to comment that he was fine till Bobby reached out and took his empty glass to inspect, “Hmm, Johnny has a point. Sorry, Daniel, but I can’t in good conscious let you drive anywhere tonight.”

“Oh come on, I haven’t had nearly enough as Johnny,” Daniel argued.

Bobby merely shook his head and snatched the keys from Daniel’s hand, which was a lot easier for him to do than Daniel would be proud to admit.

“I’ll help you come get your car tomorrow, but, tonight, you are under the care of one Bobby Brown.”

Daniel wanted to protest, but Johnny was already stumbling out of the bar, which put an end to the discussion as the rest of the party gave chase after him.

The world was too bright from the streetlights outside and too unsteady for Johnny’s liking as he leaned against Bobby’s car. “Easy there,” Bobby’s hands settled on his shoulder as he opened up the door to the backseat, and Johnny kind of just fell onto the seats, groaning as he righted himself up.

“Geez, he’s really out of it. Hey, Daniel,” Bobby turned to him, eyes a little worried, “do you mind sitting back there with him and make sure he doesn’t bash his head against the door’s window?”

Daniel had to bite his tongue to keep the immediate “no” from coming out; he currently didn’t want to be anywhere near Johnny right now with what he said earlier. Saying something like that just as a joke to win that stupid game, that was a low blow in Daniel’s book and woken up some things that he rather keep buried. He gave Johnny’s lolling head a side glance, the better part of him winning over the internal argument he was having.

“Fine, but if he barfs on me, you’re paying for the dry cleaning.”

Bobby gave Daniel a sympathetic, but grateful, look, “Thanks, Daniel, it means a lot.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t mention it,” Daniel nudged Johnny, who gave a quiet protest as he was pushed to the other side of the back seat. Despite being drunk off his ass, Daniel still had to wrestle the seatbelt on him as he was flailing his arms in mock karate punches. “You just turned 49, how about act your age for a bit?”

Johnny merely swiped his arms at Daniel in a lackluster fashion, “How about you look your age, LaRusso? You look just as good as you did when we first met.”

Daniel immediately tensed up again, a fluttering in his chest making it hard to breath for a second. To both of their luck, Bobby was outside the car saying goodbye to Jimmy so he was out of earshot of the comment, and Daniel was about to say something when Johnny landed a drunken punch against his cheek. He gave him a toothy smile, “Got ya again, LaRusso!”

Rage started building up in Daniel, glaring at Johnny despite knowing he wouldn’t even care in his current state. Daniel forcefully buckled Johnny in, ignoring the pained gasp he let out, and pressed himself into his corner to put as much distance between him and that drunken dick.

Bobby hopped into the car, unaware of the tension building up in the backseat, and soon they were off down the highway. The drive was quiet, only the lithe sound of the radio and the wind rushing outside the doors providing a subtle ambience. Bobby looked at Daniel through the rearview mirror, “Hey, Daniel, I know we may have had our differences in the past, and I know that Johnny isn’t exactly your most favorite person in the world, but, seriously, man, thanks for coming.”

Daniel gave a weak-hearted wave, “Yeah, whatever, it beats spending another night alone.”

“The great Daniel LaRusso alone? I remember you back in high school having all the girls over you after your little win at the tournament.”

“Yeah, well, let’s just say it’s easy to talk to them, but keeping is a different story.” Daniel’s eyes watched the passing streetlights, trying hard to not think about his current love life, or lack thereof, and he was none the wiser to the other pair of eyes silently regarding him.

“I’m sure you’ll find someone, keep your spirit up,” quietly to himself, Bobby uttered, “I know Johnny is the same way.” A beat passed before Bobby spoke up, “But for real, I know Johnny was happy to have you with us tonight. He has a weird way of showing when he’s having a good time, and the only reason I can tell is because me and the big palooka have been friends for ages.”

Johnny kicked the back of Bobby’s seat, “I heard that.”

“Hey, no kicking the driver, young man.”

Johnny’s face brightened up, “Or what?” He gave another sharp kick that had a little too much strength behind it as the car swerved.

“Jesus,” cried out Daniel as he was tossed to his left, suddenly remembering that he forgot to put on his seatbelt since he was distracted at the time, landing squarely against Johnny’s shoulder. Johnny had instinctively grabbed the door handle to keep himself steady, and, when Daniel landed against him, his free arm reached out and wrapped around him to hold him firmly against his side as Bobby tried to steady the car.

Daniel felt his heart pace quicken with feeling Johnny’s arm tighten around him; swallowing down that infernal lump in his throat, he spoke quietly, “Thanks, Johnny.”

Johnny didn’t even register Daniel as he turned his attention to the driver, “Careful up there, I like to live to see my next birthday, Bobby!”

“Well, maybe if SOMEBODY didn’t try using the back of my chair for karate practice, I wouldn’t be trying to crash us!”

“Always complaining, Bobby,” Johnny settled back into his seat, but his grip around Daniel didn’t loosen.

Bobby shook his head, “You’re just lucky it’s your birthday otherwise I would kick you out of the car.”

Johnny replied dismissively, “Just keep driving.”

Bobby muttered a few things under his breath before turning up the radio, clearly no longer wanting to carry a conversation anymore. In that instant, Daniel knew he would be alone now in the back with Johnny, no sign of interference coming anytime soon. He wasn’t sure what to do at the moment. Caught against Johnny, so close he could feel heat radiating off of his body through his clothes and the cheap cologne he wore for tonight’s festivities. Johnny didn’t seem to be in a rush to let go, his eyes turning back to look out his window. With a steady hand, he tried to pry Johnny’s hand off of him, only for the fingers to tighten up, pulling him even closer. Suddenly, he was very aware of how close Johnny’s face was to his. It was weird, but there was a serious look in his eyes as he stared at him. He seemed lost at what to say, his lips opening and closing several times. What could have Johnny Lawrence of all people so nervous? Daniel was about to ask till he finally spoke up, “I want to continue our game from earlier.”

“What,” now it was Daniel’s turn to be confused, “Johnny, I don’t think now is the time.” He spared a glance at Bobby in the driver’s seat, currently humming along to the radio.

“As part of my special day, I want to continue the game,” there was a set determination in his eyes when he said that, like he needed desperately to do this.

Daniel thought about it, and gave up because there was no arguing with Johnny, “Fine. I’ll go first.”

He scoured his mind for something to say, “Uh, ok, you’re so . . . dumb that you probably think an Iphone is a phone for eyes.”

Johnny didn’t even pause before blurting out, “You look so much like a girl that I had a crush on you since we were teenagers.”

The air changed again, that same unease from earlier coming back full force, but now with the close proximity there was nowhere to go but to face it head on. Daniel’s mind was kicked into overdrive, thoughts swirling out of control at the comment; a part of him said it could be another trick, just something to trip him so he could win again. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Bobby fiddling with the radio, evidently he hadn’t heard anything. Daniel steeled himself and replied after a few seconds, “Yo-you are such a dick that your face has been fined for public exposure.”

Johnny’s eyes narrowed and he leaned in to whisper into Daniel’s ear, “You’re like a weed, despite how many times I pull you out of my head, you keep popping right back up.”

Daniel was breathing erratically now, fighting back wanting to just slug Johnny because he couldn’t really be doing this now. “You . . . you,” his voice started cracking.

Johnny took his cue and spoke again, his other hand coming up to tip Daniel’s chin up so they could look right at each other. Daniel inwardly felt his heart skip because those eyes looking at him were bright and fully aware of what he was saying, “Daniel, you’re so full of shit that it has blocked your eyes from seeing what is obviously right in front of you.”

Then their lips met, and Daniel’s mind went blank. His lips tasted of cheap beer and of nasty bar nachos, but it didn’t make for a bad first kiss. Daniel’s hand came up to rest on Johnny’s cheek as they deepened the kiss. He could feel Johnny’s hand rub down his side, getting lower and lower. There was anticipation in that touch, a curiosity to see how far he would go, till they were suddenly jolted as Johnny’s half of the car bowed low and bounced up, making him hit his head against the roof of the car.

“Ow, the fuck, Bobby,” shouted Johnny as he rubbed the top of his head.

Bobby chuckled quietly to himself, “Sorry, pal, random pot hole, darn these streets.”

“Here let me see,” Daniel reached out and forced Johnny’s head down so he could inspect the injury. He prodded it, earning a wince from Johnny, “Aw, you big crybaby, you’ll live. You’ve taken worse blows to the head.”

Johnny’s head snapped up, “Real funny, LaRusso.”

Daniel smiled broadly at him, their banter a familiar place for the both of them, and he nestled his head on Johnny’s shoulder. The gentle weight of Johnny resting his head on Daniel’s served as a silent comfort for the both of them. “Maybe you wouldn’t mind giving me a better blow to my head then?” An elbow pushed into his side was Daniel’s response.

The two spent the rest of the trip to Daniel’s place in a comfortable silence, basking in whatever this unnamable thing between them was. For the longest time neither of them felt such a sense of . . . comfort, and, when Bobby pulled up to where Daniel lived, he secretly didn’t want to pull away from Johnny. Plus Johnny had fallen asleep on him, so it was a bit of a hassle to slowly pry himself out of his vice grip. He tried his best not to wake him, but, as he slid across to his door, Johnny’s lax form followed after. Daniel had just stepped out of the car when he heard a muffled thud behind him, turning he found Johnny face down in the backseat. He turned over till he was on his back, looking up at Daniel through his half-lidded eyes.

“Going so soon, LaRusso?”

“Yeah, it’s about my bedtime,” he lowered himself till his face was hovering just above Johnny’s.

“Pft, go get your beauty rest then, but I think you could spare to lose some sleep with how you look.”

Daniel snorted, leaning down to press a kiss to Johnny’s forehead, “Thanks for the invite, I had fun. We should meet up again soon.”

Johnny’s eyes lit up, a dopey grin growing on his face, “Really? You want to be seen in daylight with me?”

“Maybe a shaded place if we’re lucky.”

“Fuck you, LaRusso.”

“Do it yourself, coward.”

Johnny went silent, lips tightening. Daniel laughed, “Got ya, Johnny.” He thanked Bobby for the ride and closed the door.

Bobby couldn’t see Johnny in the rearview mirror, so he assumed he was still slumped in the backseat. Once he made sure Daniel made it safe into his home, Bobby spoke up, “See, I told you inviting Daniel was a good idea. You should listen to me more often.”

“Shut it, Bobby, and take me home before I vomit all over your car.” Bobby laughed, shifting the car into drive as they headed off.

“Happy birthday again, Johnny.”

**Author's Note:**

> Just like the 80’s films  
> We’ll hookup in my backseat  
> And let my best friend drive.
> 
> 80’s films – John Bellion  
> ~~~~
> 
> Behold the lyrics that started this whole thing. I honestly had no idea where this was going, but the one thing I did know was that it HAD to end with some good ol'making out in the backseat like it's prom night.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it, thanks for reading and have a lovely day xoxo


End file.
